What are zombie ants?

At first, the title may sound crazy, but it's just the way a recent study carried out by the University of Pennsylvania designs describes this strange fact.

An entomopathogenic fungus (Ophiocordyceps) is able to manipulate ants' brains, so these can that they do what it wants. This parasitic organism, apart from controlling them, can also distinguish among the different types of ants and secretes substances according to their victim. Many of these molecules are unknown today, although experts have identified two of them: the guanidino acid and the sphingosine, both with neurological effects.
The procedure is the following: when an ant approaches spores to feed itself, the fungus settles on it and takes the control of its central nervous system.
Suddenly, the insect begins to scale (or more commonly, "climb") over the stem of a plant until arriving at it reaches one of its leaves, where the parasite finishes the ant's life off. Then, it spreads new spores that fall on the ground, to start the tragic cycle again.


Thank you :)

Hi Bianca,

Just be careful with "the" - if you're using it to talk about a specific object, for example, "the ant's life" it's ok, but if you talk about something in general, you don't need the article.

A "lovely" story!

Simón.